Aurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Sonification
audio – visual performance with living system (live moon jellyfish) (2015)
by Robertina Šebjanič
with technical support Slavko Glamočanin
[slovenski tekst ⇊⇊]
video about the research and development of the opus Aurelia 1+Hz
Honorary Mention @Prix Ars Electronica 2016 Interactive Art+
http://prix2016.aec.at/prixwinner/21280/
photo by Le Cube archive
video by François Hebras, a short extract of the 20 min of audio – visual performance at Le Cube – Centre de création numérique, Paris France, February 2015
“There are still songs to sing beyond mankind” by Paul Celan
The most substantial aims of Aurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Sonification (production 2015) are to explore the phenomena of interspecies communication, sonification of the environment and the underwater acoustic / bioacoustics. An interactive performance features live transmitted sound generated by Aurelia Aurita – moon jellyfish and performer. Sound loops are containing recordings and sonic experiments of jellyfish in closed environment and prerecorded from the jellyfish blooms at the sea. Both are mixed in generative sound which is assembled into immersive sonic and visual experience.
Jellyfish are tracked by raspberry pi camera. The camera measures data of contraction,movement and interaction. The data captured in real time by the camera is transformed intoinformation and program is providing navigation of the sound data archive of recordings of previous experiments.
For over 500 hundred million years jellyfish have been pulsating in the world’s oceans and seas. Nowadays, amidst the immense environmental changes, their numbers are rapidly growing. Jellyfish are one of the rare organisms that seem perfectly suited for the Anthropocene era. The current 6th Mass Extinction may not apply to them. There are several species of jellies (some of them immortal), however, it is not established (yet) how they communicate? A question how do jellyfish communicate does not the answer jet. Do they smell each other? Do they feel vibration? As with just a simple vibration sound starts…
Aurelia Aurita has rudimentary sensory nerves at the base of its tentacles which allows it to perceive light, smell and orientation. Its gravity receptors (calcium crystals) are the same as with humans’ inner ear. Gravity receptors, containing a calcium crystals are similar as also our Vestibula system. These sensitive structures are providing positional information to the animal based on the direction of gravity. By the use of bioacoustics is possible to study sound production – reception in order to understand how the natural world works.
The relationship between human and animal is a key to better understanding of natural environment. Humans have massive impact on other species and thus it is crucial to decode what they signal us and how they see us.
How can we better understand jellyfish and enhance the relationship between humans and other marine species? We still know more about outer space then the deep sea.
The odyssey into the exploration of interspecies communication is a way of discovering parameters to restore a deep relationship within all of life and it is a key to better understanding of the earth’s environment.
The Aurelia 1+Hz project is divided in two parts; the performanceAurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Sonification looks into a new critical redefinition of social values and new attitude towards cohabitation of interspecies while the installationAurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Generator deals with the biopolicy of prolonging life.
Aurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Generator (interactive installation 2014) addresses the possibilities of coexistence of humans, animals and machines. The project uses living organisms to process “aliveness” of a simple robotic machine. The installation addresses two entities – jellyfish and robot – separated, but if they merged into one, causing new biocybernetic organism to occur: Would “it” be able to live forever?
Technical description: Aurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Sonification contains tracking system that follows interaction between jellyfish and generates locative media. Jellyfish are tracked by raspberry pi camera. The camera measures data of contraction, movement and interaction between jellyfish. The data captured by the camera in real time is transformed into information that provides navigation in the program of the sound archive containing recordings of previous experiments such as sound data of jellyfish that was produced during the project, entitled Deep Blue, at the Institute of Marine Science and Technologies in Izmir, Turkey. The sound navigated by the performer / artist Robertina Šebjanič has been gathered by hydrophones recording underwater jellyfish bloom on the shores of Izmir in February 2014.
Living organism
Jellyfish used in frames of the project are from the species of Aurelia Aurita or moon jellyfish. It is the most common jellyfish that is to be found in all seas and oceans and, at the same time, modular organism in the laboratories for jellyfish research.
Aquariums & maintainers of living organisms
The aquariums that are used in frames of the project are developed by Cubic Aquarium Systems and are built in a way that enables these organisms to have the best possible experience in closed habitat.
photo by @Le Cube 
photo by @Le Cube
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A performance Aurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Sonification premiered on the 6 February 2015, on the event: TO BE OR NOT, TO BE – THAT IS THE QUESTION – LIVING TODAY AND TOMORROW at Le Cube, with Décalab, Natacha Seignolles, Annick Bureaud, Manuela de Barros, Catherine Dargemot, Marion Laval-Jeantet and Catherine Nyeki.
Photos of the event: https://www.flickr.com/photos/le-cube/sets/72157650327827829/
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Discussion about the interspecies communication, the jellyfish – human interaction, marine ecologie … after the performance with Guillaume Eveillard, Robertina Sebjanic and Annick Bureaud at Le Cube – Centre de création numérique, Paris, February, 2015
photo by @Le Cube________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In the Series “Rencontre avec” (“Meeting”), a podcast on Audiolats ,”Performing with Jellyfishes” interview by Annick Bureaud with Robertina Sebjanic click here to listen.
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Author (concept, research and realization)_Robertina Šebjanič
Programming_Slavko Glamočanin
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Coordination & curating of the premiere_Natacha Seignolles (DécaLab )
Curating advisor of the premiere_Annick Bureaud
Production_DécaLab and Le Cube - Centre de création numérique, Paris, France,
Year of production_February 2015
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Special thanks:
Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Paris
Natacha Seignolles, Annick Bureaud, Agnes Baldacchino,
Ewen Chardronnet, Miha Colner,
PORTIZMIR#3 – DEEP BLUE team – Assoc.Prof.Dr Guzel Yucel Gier, M. Sc. Betül Bardakcı, Süleyman Duman, Can Eytemiz, Onur Koc, Mutlu Kurtbas,Uğur Engin Deniz, Cansu Çakar, Saša Nabergoj, Aysegul Kurtel and Institute of Marine Science and Technologies in Izmir, K2 Izmir,
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The Alchemist of our time at Bunker at Post City and at OK Center was a documentary presentation of the project during Ars Electronica 2016 and BIG special thanks to Aquarium in Pula and Zoovienna – Aquarium to support us with gorgeous moon jellyfish.
here a festival recap:
http://www.aec.at/feature/en/festival2016/
More photos:
photo by Le Cube
photo by Miha Fras (archive Gallery Kapelica)
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Carole Thibaud did make a great analoge recording with the 16mm cam of the project Aurelia 1+Hz.
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Aurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Sonification
audio – vizualni performance z živim sistemom
Robertina Šebjanič,
tehnična podpora Slavko Glamočanin
produkcija in izvedba premiere:
DécaLab and Le Cube – Centre de création numérique, 2015
“Še so nezapeti spevi / onkraj človeškega.” – Paul Celan (prevod: Jan Krmelj)
Osrednji cilj projektaAurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Sonification (produkcija 2015) je raziskovanje fenomenov medvrstne komunikacije, sonifikacije okolja in podvodne akustike / bioakustike. V okviru Interaktivnega performansa smo v živo priča prenosu zvoka, ki ga proizvajata uhati klobučnjak (znanstveno ime Aurelia Aurita) in performerka. Zvočne zanke sestavljajo posnetki in zvočni eksperimenti s klobučnjaki v zaprtem okolju, ter tisti, ki so bili predhodno zajeti v času cvetenja klobučnjakov v Sredozemskem morju. Posnetki so nato zmiksani v generativnem zvoku in zbrani v prepričljivo zvočno in vizualno izkušnjo.
Avtorica je za merjenje podatkov o ritmičnem krčenju, gibanju in interakciji klobučnjakov uporabila raspberry pi kamero. Kamera podatke, zajete v realnem času, pretvarja v informacije, programska oprema pa omogoča navigacijo tudi po zvočnem arhivu podatkov, ki so bili zajeti v predhodnih eksperimentih.
Klobučnjaki v svetovnih oceanih in morjih pulzirajo že več kot 500 milijonov let. Danes, v času izjemnih okoljskih sprememb, njihovo število strmo narašča. Zdi se, da so klobučnjaki redkih organizmov, ki so povsem prilagojeni za bivanje v dobi Antropocena. Trenutno potekajoče šesto masovno izumrtje jih ne bo prizadelo. Poznamo več vrst klobučnjakov (nekateri med njimi so celo nesmrtni), a vendar še nismo ugotovili, kako komunicirajo. Vonjajo drug drugega? Ćutijo vibracije? S preprosto vibracijo se zvok začne…
Rudimentarno senzorično živčevje, s katerim Aurelia aurita zaznava svetlobo, vonja in se orientira, se nahaja na korenu njenih lovk. Njeni receptorji za gravitacijo, ki vsebujejo kalcijeve kristale, so podobni vestibularnem sistemu, ki se nahaja v človekovem srednjem ušesu. Prek omenjenih čutnih struktur klobučnjak, glede na smer gravitacije, prejema informacije o svoji poziciji. Bioakustika nam pomaga pri preučevanju generiranja zvoka in njegove recepcije, da bi bolje razumeli, kako narava deluje. Odnos človek-žival je ključ do razumevanja našega okolja, narave. Človeška vrsta ima ogromen vpliv na druge vrste in tako je ključnega pomeni, da razvozlamo signale, ki nam jih te pošiljajo ter dobimo vpogled v to, kako nas dojemajo.
Kako lahko meduze spoznamo še bolje ter okrepimo odnos med ljudmi in drugimi morskimi vrstami? Še vedno vemo precej več o vesolju kot o globinah morja.
Odiseja v raziskovanje medvrstne komunikacije je način za razkrivanje parametrov, s katerimi bomo obnovili in utrdili vezi med vsem življem ter je ključ do razumevanja Zemljinega okolja.
Projekt Aurelia 1+Hz je razdeljen na dva dela; performansAurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Sonification raziskuje možnosti za kritično redefinicijo družbenih vrednot in vzpostavitev nove drže do medvrstne kohabitecije, instalacija Aurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Generator pa se ukvarja z biopolitiko podaljševanja življenja.
Aurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Generator (interaktivna instalacija, 2014) naslavlja možnosti koeksistence ljudi, živali in strojev. V projektu so živi organizmi uporabljeni, da bi proizvedli “živost” preprostega robotskega stroja. Instalacija obe entiteti – klobučnjaka in robota – naslavlja ločeno, a če bi se združila v en sam nov biokibernetski organizem: bi ta lahko živel večno?
Tehnični opis: V okviru Aurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Sonification je uporabljen sistem za sledenje, ki sledi interakciji med ožigalkarji ter proizvaja lokativne medije. Avtorica je za merjenje podatkov o ritmičnem krčenju, gibanju in interakciji klobučnjakov uporabila raspberry pi kamero. Kamera podatke, zajete v realnem času, pretvarja v informacije, programska oprema pa omogoča navigacijo tudi po zvočnem arhivu podatkov, ki so bili zajeti v predhodnih eksperimentih, natančneje v času projekta Deep Blue, ki se je vršil na Inštitutu za pomorske znanosti in tehnologijo v Izmirju, v Turčiji. Zvok, ki ga usmerja performerka In umetnica Robertina Šebjanič, je bil februarja 2014 s hidrofoni zajet na obalah Izmirja v času cvetenja klobučnjakov.
Živi organizmi
Ožigalkarji, ki so uporabljeni v projektu, so uhati klobučnjaki (zn. Aurelia aurita). Gre za vrsto klobučnjakov, ki je v Zemljinih oceanih in morjih najbolj pogosta ter sočasno organizme, ki jih v laboratorijih, v katerih klobučnjake preučujejo, uporabljajo najpogosteje.
Akvariji & vzdrževalci živih organizmov
Akvarije, ki so uporabljeni v okviru projekta, so razvili v Cubic Aquarium Systems in so zgrajeni tako, da organizmom nudijo naboljši možen zaprt habitat.
Aurelia 1+Hz/Proto Viva Sonification je interaktivni performans, ki raziskuje fenomene medvrstnega sporazumevanja. V njem ste v živo priča prenosu zvoka, ki ga proizvajata uhati klobučnjak (znanstveno ime Aurelia aurita) in performerka. Zvočne zanke, ki jih sestavljajo zajeti posnetki klobučnjakov v zaprtem okolju in v morju predhodno posneti zvočni eksperimenti, so zmiksane v generativnem zvoku in zbrane v prepričljivo zvočno in vizualno izkušnjo.